Shutter Speed

Eclipses

Last updated: 2026-09-20

What it does

Lists upcoming lunar and solar eclipses and shows whether each one is visible from your location. Tap any eclipse to open a simulation of it.

What you need

A location, set with the location picker at the top of the screen. Without one, the lists still show every eclipse, but not whether you can see it. The eclipse data is built into the app, so the lists and simulations do not need a network connection.

How to use it

  1. Set your location with the picker at the top.
  2. In Eclipse Type, choose Lunar or Solar. The app remembers your choice.
  3. Browse Upcoming Eclipses (from today onward, up to six) or All Eclipses (the full reference list).
  4. Tap an eclipse to open its simulation.
  5. In the simulation, drag the slider or press play to move through time. Choose Slow, Normal, or Fast for the playback speed.

Reading the results

  • Eye icon on a row: an open eye means visible from your location, a crossed-out eye means not visible. With no location set, there is no icon.
  • Lunar rows: show type (Penumbral, Partial, Total), date, time at your location, and magnitude. A lunar eclipse counts as visible when the peak falls during night at your location.
  • Solar rows: show the global type and date. With a location set, they show what you would see there, its magnitude, or "Not visible from your location".
  • Lunar simulation: the Moon crossing Earth's shadow, with a Right Now card (phase, umbral and penumbral magnitude) and Contact Times in UTC. Tap a contact time to jump to it.
  • Solar simulation: the Moon crossing the Sun as seen from your location, with Right Now (phase, percent of the Sun covered, Sun altitude), At Your Location (magnitude, obscuration, duration of totality or annularity), and Contact Times.
  • Sun below the horizon: if the Moon crosses the Sun from your location but the Sun stays below the horizon the whole time, the app says so instead of showing a simulation. Pick another location to see where it is visible.

Tips

  • Solar eclipses are only total or annular along a narrow path, so most places see a partial eclipse or nothing.
  • In Night Vision, the solar simulation is drawn in red.
  • Never look at the Sun without proper eclipse glasses.